A new specialty home goods shop that will double as a community space is opening in Ingleside.
Cositas Lindas fills the space once occupied by Aster Travel Agency on the 1900 block of Ocean Avenue. The shop is the realization of a long-held dream for San Francisco native Gabriel Ramos.
The idea of selling dishware and trinkets came to him last year while working in thyroid cancer research for Veracyte. He realized tomorrow is not promised and that now was the best time to pursue his lifelong dream.
“I've always wanted to be my own boss, and I've loved home goods, knickknacks, mugs, just anything for your home,” Ramos, 30, said. “It has just been a kind of side quest for me as a young kid… Nothing ever really kind of pushed me to do anything and I think this year, specifically, with dealing with a lot of health issues, we don't know what's for granted. I think I just said, ‘You know what? Maybe I'll just try it out.’”
The store will feature home goods like vases from ban.dō, stuffed animals from warmies, notebooks from anecdote. and California and San Francisco-themed tote bags and dishes from San Francisco Mercantile, along with other goods that will fill the shop's stand-alone shelves lining both sides of the space.
Additional products like stickers and pins from various artists will fill the shop’s two large wooden tables in the center of the room, with items like Naruto comic books and figurines in clear showcase boxes on top.
Special items include bags from Puebco and glass cups and drink tumblers from the Japanese design and lifestyle brand KINTO. He also plans to add a section dedicated to the Mexican design and retail brand Utilitario Mexicano with cloth and ceramic goods and weekly bouquets for sale Thursday through Saturday.
Ramos wants to have something for everyone. Prices range from roughly $2 to $70.
“I’m excited,” said Michelle Saadeh, whose dog grooming service, The Pawber Shop, is next door. “It’s a good addition to the block. It’s another business on this block that people can kind of bounce to.”
Ramos said he hopes to secure a photo booth from San Francisco’s Photomatica and he plans to add areas for patrons to hang out in the front and rear of the space next year.
The shop’s name was decided by pure happenstance. For the last year, Ramoas had seen the word “linda” several times and when coming up with its name, he received a text from a co-worker that used an acronym that spelled “cost” with the word “linda” at the end, resulting in the shop’s name.
It also has a second meaning for him that stems from his Hispanic culture, with “cositas” translating to “little things” from Spanish, which is also something his mother loves.
Ramos said his shop wouldn’t exist without family support, especially without the support of his sister Kim Ramos, the owner of Charm Coffee.
Kim Ramos said that having her brother open his business on the block means a lot to her and that she has shared with him what she’s learned from opening her coffee shop, adding that they will also collaborate on events and other creative ways that bring people together.
“It’s really special to see my brother open his own business on Ocean Avenue,” Kim Ramos said. “I’m really proud of him and hope his shop becomes another space for the community to connect, discover new things and support local artists.”
Cositas Lindas will do more than sell home goods. Ramos envisions the shop as a community hub and a judgment-free safe space hosting monthly local art exhibits, themed events and weekly painting night.
Cositas Lindas will hold an opening event on Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, small goodie bags for the first few customers, snacks and drinks from Charm Coffee and a raffle for customers that’s in partnership with the brand Kinto.
“The goal is to do well with retail but, again, it's overall a community space and I just want people to feel safe and want to come and check it out,” Ramos said.
Cositas Lindas
Address: 1961 Ocean Ave.
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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